NUTRACEUTICALS

Black cohosh

Feverfew

First harvest

Lecture series 2003

Plant medicine initiative

Prescription plants

Tissue culture

Team members

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NEWS RELEASE

DATE: 10-16-98

CONTACT: Jeff Adelberg, (864) 656-3011   

WRITER: Debbie Dalhouse, (864) 656-0937  

CLEMSON UNIVERSITY DEVELOPS REVOLUTIONARY SYSTEM
FOR PLANT PROPAGATION

CLEMSON — An entire greenhouse full of plants can be shipped around the world in minimal packaging without spreading pests through a revolutionary technology developed by Clemson University researchers. The unique process is an application of micropropagation and was created by Clemson plant scientist Jeffrey W. Adelberg and engineer Roy E. Young.

The system, patented as Acclimatron™, is a sealed device containing finger-sized transplants, called CU-Starts™, that are free of diseases, pests and pesticides and are strong enough to be planted directly into the field or into containers for growing to saleable size.

“Tissue culture transplants have undeveloped root systems so they have to be placed in a greenhouse to grow roots and harden before they can be moved outside,” said Adelberg. “This is very labor intensive and costly. But CU-Starts™ have a strong root system even though the plants themselves are very small. This means growers can achieve record propagation rates with minimal labor and space requirements.”

The trays, transplants and computerized greenhouse system are being produced and marketed by a new company, called Southern Sun.

“Clemson’s research has proven that we can grow plants better than the market has today and at a lower cost,” said Chas Fox, president of Southern Sun. “This is leading edge technology that makes it possible to mass-produce a wide range of plants, from ornamentals to endangered species.”

The research that developed this technology was made possible by the South Carolina Agriculture and Forestry Research System based at Clemson.

“This research will improve the quality of life for both consumers and producers as growers are able to provide more varieties and larger quantities of top-quality plants,” said James R. Fischer, director of the Agriculture and Forestry Research System.         

The new process begins with an automated system of producing micro-cuttings, or buds, during tissue culture propagation. These tiny cuttings are placed into the Acclimatron™ trays. Each compartment of the trays includes a paper growing medium that supports the root system and is free of disease or pest risks.

The Acclimatron™ trays are placed in a hydroponic growing system in which plant nutrients are delivered through circulating water. The trays eliminate the possibility of contamination by diseases, producing high quality, healthy plants that command premium prices. The system also allows water and nutrients to be recycled and eliminates the need for pesticides, making the process environmentally sensitive and cost effective.

A computer controls the temperature of the circulating water, allowing the cuttings to be grown in full sun instead of the traditional shaded greenhouse. This provides the acclimatizing, or hardening, that the transplants need to survive when placed outside for growing to saleable size.

The process is still undergoing refinements before reaching full commercial-ization, but it is already being enthusiastically received by growers who are buying the transplants as “raw material” to grow into saleable plants or acquiring a license agreement for the entire system to produce transplants for sale to other growers.

END